A fortnight ago I said I had doubts over whether Manchester United would find the balance to emulate last season's feats and I think the first two games have already borne those doubts out. United have made exactly the start they didn't want and have already given Chelsea a fourpoint lead.

Okay, they've also had some misfortune . . . against both Reading and Portsmouth I thought they had the chances to win and were unlucky not to, and it doesn't really get much worse than losing Wayne Rooney to injury for two to three months. But, on top of that, Cristiano Ronaldo's red card means they're without him for three games.

The onus is therefore on Carlos Tevez and it's going to be interesting to see if he is the player Alex Ferguson thinks he is. Certainly, he scored goals at West Ham so there's no reason he shouldn't at Old Trafford, but for a while he'll have to make do without a substantial supporting cast.

Already, the forward line seems to be put out with people playing in different positions in different games. So, suddenly, there's a little bit of a worry for Ferguson because Chelsea have made exactly the start United did last year . . . and Jose Mourinho's team found it very difficult to peg them back.

Chelsea have been stuttery, but they have also taken maximum points. They seem vulnerable in defence, Glen Johnson in particular looking all over the place. Right-back has always been a problem position for Chelsea so I'm not surprised they're so desperate for Daniel Alves from Sevilla. But still, they got full points and it will only give them confidence to see Manchester United four behind.

Meanwhile, Liverpool's start only strengthens my view that they have real possibilities this season. They did leave it late against Aston Villa but that was the hardest game any of the big four encountered on the opening weekend.

And even though they needed Steven Gerrard's tremendous winner, they look like they have goals about them . . . that was what let them down last year. In midweek, they had a comfortable win against Toulouse and you'd expect them to build momentum from that. Benitez's side play Chelsea at home today and though it should be a revealing test, I think both would be reasonably pleased with a draw at this stage of the season.

Arsenal, who have also made a steady start, have a tough test themselves against Blackburn. These were the fixtures they struggled in last year.

But confidence is good, pre-season went well and, like Liverpool, they've all but assured participation in the Champions League with minimum fuss.

Two other teams that have impressed me early on are Everton and Manchester City. Everton are very hard-working and they're a team the big four won't relish playing. City, meanwhile, have had a lot attention because of Sven Goran Eriksson and much of the English media are dying for him to slip up. But he looks to have assembled some very talented players who are comfortable on the ball and have got pace. They are also supported by some excellent young players from the academy such as Michael Johnson and, of course, Stephen Ireland.

Ireland had a particularly good game against West Ham last week and he is just one of a number of young Irish players getting regular Premier League football and impressing. It augurs well for Steve Staunton's squad. At Reading, Stephen Hunt and Kevin Doyle are showing they're good hardworking players while there's also that large contingent at Sunderland.

Paul McShane, especially, was outstanding last week. What he lacks in height and physical presence he makes up for in determination and tactical nous.

What I really like is that he's a leader on the pitch. With Richard Dunne's stature, they could form a solid partnership as they complement each other very well.

It's interesting because, when you compare it to this time last year after the Dutch game, our potential squad looked so thin. Now, over 12 months a whole new panel has emerged. A lot of them are outside the elite clubs and therefore getting games, which will only help them develop. But there has been a big contingent suddenly appearing from virtually nowhere and credit there has to go to the Eircom League . . . especially in the cases of O'Donovan and Doyle. If players like that can do it in the Premier League, then they should be able to hold their own at international level.

That is why this game against Denmark is important in terms of giving these lads experience at this level. Staunton couldn't have wished for the group to develop much better over the past year.

The Czech Republic have almost disintegrated, throwing away the advantage they had after the first few games, and suddenly they're looking vulnerable in second.

To capitalise we have to go and get two good results there and in Slovakia.

And Denmark is the ideal warm-up game . . . stiff opposition away from home.

They're not the sort of team to take friendlies lightly so they are perfect to ready the young players for those trips.

If the likes of Hunt and Ireland show up in Denmark the way they did last March against Wales and Slovakia, then we'll be in really good shape.

It's amazing, from a situation where we were effectively out of contention after losing to Cyprus, we now have a real chance of qualifying. To do so, four points in these two games are imperative, and we're capable of it. The Czechs are under real pressure while we've a good chance of beating Slovakia.

I'm not saying the situation has completely changed in that there are still a lot of doubts and those young players still have things to prove, but they're certainly doing the right things so far and there is cause for optimism. If Staunton can at least put in a realistic challenge for that second qualification spot he should get to keep his job for another two years and get to build with these talented young players.